OUR OPINION: Relief donations still needed in Oklahoma

Mississippians have particular and generous empathy for victims of natural disasters in other states because our state has often felt the damage and death of wild and unpredictable weather, especially tornadoes and hurricanes.
Many Mississippians, including individuals and groups from Northeast Mississippi, have provided a generous measure of support and work for the thousands of people whose lives have been disrupted by a rash of powerful, deadly tornadoes in Oklahoma during the past two weeks.
The weather forecast on Monday suggested more violent weather may happen in that area this week.
Generous loads of supplies have been sent from Mississippians to the people in Moore, Oklahoma City and other communities where the tornadoes have swept through.
Additional assistance is still needed, and cash gifts to a number of humanitarian agencies and religious disaster relief organizations will be applied in full to recovery.
A few of the helping agencies are listed here:
• American Red Cross of Central and Western Oklahoma
601 NE 6th St.
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
• Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma
Attn: Disaster Relief
3800 N. May Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
• United Methodist Committee on Relief
PO Box 9068
New York, NY 10087-9068
(or by calling 1-800-554-8583, where credit card donations are accepted. You can also make a $10 donation anytime by texting “UMCOR” to 80888.)
• Episcopal Relief & Development
P.O. Box 7058
Merrifield, VA 22116-7058
• Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
Presbyterian Church (USA)
P.O. Box 643700
Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700
• Disaster Relief
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
1501 N. Classen Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73106
• The Salvation Army, a stalwart responder nationwide, is also fully mobilized in Oklahoma. To make a financial donation, call 1-800-SAL-ARMY; go to www.salvationarmyusa.org; text the word “STORM” to 80888 to make a $10 donation through your mobile phone and to confirm your gift respond with the word “yes;” or mail checks made payable to the Salvation Army – Disaster Relief, P.O. Box 2536, Oklahoma City, OK 72102 marked “May 2013 Oklahoma Tornadoes.”
It is painful to consider, but Mississippi’s turn probably will come again.